Patton eighth graders will make history presentations on Saturday

Two Patton Middle School eighth-graders will present some
intensive research they’ve done at the annual Oregon History Day
competition on Saturday.

The event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Oregon Historical
Society in downtown Portland. Ninety-two students, most from private
schools, will participate.

The McMinnville students are among 42 competing in the junior division.

Emmy Martin researched the 19th century French artist Vincent van
Gogh. Taylor Rockwell researched J. Harlan Bretz, the first to
understand how the great Missoula Floods shaped the Northwest landscape.

Both girls wrote lengthy papers on their subjects, then delved deeper
into the topics to prepare for the state competition. They also had to
create displays featuring visuals and quotes, and commit their
information to memory so they can explain it to judges.

Taylor said her teacher, Scott Phoenix, suggested her topic when she
arrived at Patton last fall. And she said Bretz turned out to be
fascinating.

A history teacher in Eastern Washington, he started exploring the
area’s unique geography in the early 1900s. As he walked, Taylor said,
he spotted features such as a dry waterfall 3 1/2 miles long.

He theorized the landscape had been shaped quickly by a cataclysmic
flood, rather than scoured by glaciers over the course of millions of
years. Other scientists dismissed his theory, even calling him crazy,
Taylor said, but he persisted. Today, his discovery of the Missoula
Floods is accepted science.

Both Taylor and Emmy plan to explain their research subject’s “legacy
and leadership,” in keeping with the contest theme. Neither man was a
leader in the conventional sense, they said, but both stood up for what
they believed in and are remembered for making a difference in their
fields.

In Emmy’s case, she said she wants not only to point out that van
Gogh was memorable, but to change the way many people remember him.

When someone says “van Gogh,” many people think of the artist’s flaws
as well as his paintings, she said. While it’s true he suffered from
depression, spent time in a mental hospital and sliced off his own ear,
that’s just one part of his story.

“Yes, maybe he was obsessed with painting, but he had needs, wants, love,” Emmy said. “Love was a big part of who he was.”

The eighth-grader said she empathizes with van Gogh. And she admires
the way he maintained his optimism, continuing to produce sketches,
paintings and detailed letters to his brother.

She read many of the letters as part of her research. “So it was like I had a direct glimpse into his mind,” she said.

Taylor also was able to read some of Bretz’s original writings as
well. And both she and Emmy said they wish they could talk to their
subjects today. Now that they know so much about them, they have lots of
questions.